Derby Police Make $1.5 Million Fentanyl Seizure

DERBY, CT — Derby police Wednesday morning stopped a tractor trailer truck on Route 34, and inside the cab officers discovered 55 pounds of Fentanyl - a synthetic opioid pain medication often cut with heroin - with an estimated street value of $1.5 million, according to authorities.

The circumstances surrounding the 10:52 a.m. traffic stop and subsequent search and seizure were not disclosed, but Derby police took into custody the truck's operator Arizona resident Erick Escalante, 47.

"Based on the size of the seizure, Escalante, along with the investigation, was turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration New Haven office for potential federal prosecution," said Derby police in a statement.

What charges Escalante faces have not yet been disclosed.

Photo: Fentanyl seized by Derby police. Photo credit: Derby Police Department